Yellowknife (Oct 30/06) - Yellowknife resident Larry Fisher is so desperate to cure his chronic back pain that he is willing to spend $20,000 of his own money to fly to India next month for surgery at a private hospital.

Yellowknife resident Larry Fisher said he is in too much pain to wait for back treatment here. He is going to a private hospital in India next month instead. - Mike W. Bryant/NNSL photo

Three years ago, the 45-year-old was active and employed. The self-described jock once enjoyed skiing, playing hockey, basketball, and coaching sports for his kids. He held a well-paying job as a carpenter, and was making plans to start up his own business as a fishing guide.

These days, Fisher rarely leaves his house. The shooting pain in his chest is often so bad, he doubles over in agony.

Fisher can't sleep. He is only comfortable resting while hunched forward on a sofa with his elbows on his knees. He doesn't work any more - his wife Cheri is the only breadwinner in the house - and his boat stayed parked in the driveway all summer long.

"The pain this is creating is beyond anything I've ever felt," said Fisher.

"It's all day, every day. I can't socialize, can't go for a few beers, can't go visiting. I kind of have to be here (at home) in case I get a pain attack.

Fisher has been troubled by back pain for about 20 years but it wasn't until the autumn of 2003 that it started to become unbearable.

His family doctor referred him to an orthopedic surgeon at Stanton Territorial Hospital, and thus began an odyssey that has since drained his confidence in Canada's public health system.

After a doctor's visit in June 2004, an orthopedic surgeon wrote Fisher's family physician, stating that his patient "has a lot of problems," and believed that "we have to evaluate this much more quickly than waiting for a regular MRI."

An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test conducted on July 9, 2004, showed he had degenerative disc disease and a form of arthritis in the spine.

But even after that MRI, plus two more later on, neither doctors here at Stanton Territorial Hospital or in Edmonton have been able to offer him a definitive diagnosis that could point to a suitable means of treatment.

He has tried to see specialists in Calgary and Vancouver but has so far been unsuccessful. Last year, he asked Health and Social Services to pay for an appointment to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where wait times are shorter.

The department refused even though Fisher offered to pay his own way down.

"I've been going through this every day for three years. I'm just fed up with it."

Fisher is among a growing list of Canadians who, after idling for years on hospital waiting lists in Canada, are packing their bags for a foreign country where they will receive immediate treatment - for a price.

In a couple weeks, Fisher will be at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai, India, where he expects to receive a definitive diagnosis of his back ailment followed by surgery.

Fisher believes going to India will be well worth the more than $20,000 he and his wife expect to spend there.

"It's gotten to the point where I'm willing to spend over $20,000 of my own money just to get some semblance of a life back," said Fisher.

Fisher learned more about overseas treatment through Vancouver-based Surgical Tourism Canada, which is connected to the Apollo Hospital group in India. After sending X-rays and MRI tests, an Indian doctor there told him he likely needed a disc replaced and possibly some vertebrae in his back fused.

The company's president, Yasmeen Sayeed, said Canadian doctors are often squeamish about offering surgery to treat back pain - particularly for younger patients - because spinal surgery is seen as complicated and potentially risky.

"So they just tell you to wait and be on painkillers," said Sayeed.

"As you keep taking them you get immune to them." Sayeed said her company has had 25 successful cases treated so far. Apollo's doctors are some of the best trained in the world, she said.

Fisher's MLA, Dave Ramsay, said he is disappointed the NWT's Health and Social Services department couldn't do more to help him.

"It's not acceptable," said Ramsay.

"It shouldn't be allowed to happen, not in this day and age. Our health care system shouldn't fail someone like Mr. Fisher."

Fisher said he's exhausted all options in Canada. "I've expedited this process as much as I could. The doctors have done little or nothing - nothing more than routine, sending a letter or whatever."

Meanwhile, the NWT Worker's Compensation Board refuses to give him benefits because he can't prove his condition is work-related. At present, his only income comes from Canadian Pension Plan disability benefits for less than $1,000 a month.

Neither officials with Health and Social Services or Stanton Hospital could be reached for comment. The WCB declined to comment, citing client confidentiality.